Unrelated Fragments
by Lexa Narelle
Summary: Literally, whatever I write on Tumblr - miscellaneous one-shots, prompts, drabbles, ficlets, etc. All of it will be Jane x Mason.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hi, guys! I try to keep these at 500-600 words (or less). So, they're not as detailed as my normal writing. Forgive my absence, I've just had a really busy month. I promise, I am working on updating Life Stories and bringing you some other things. Hopefully, I will be back regularly, very soon. As always, thank you, for your patience. Any reviews are greatly appreciated.

* * *

 **"You don't need to protect me."**

"Yes, I do!" Mason argued. He got up from the couch, and stood, to face his darling wife. She needed to use the bathroom. What safer way could she travel, than in Mason's strong, accomodating arms?

Okay, he wasn't actually that stupid. Mason could admit - to himself, anyway - that maybe he'd been a little excessive about monitoring Jane (and their unborn baby). She was a grown woman, after all, whom he loved and respected, unreservedly. However, since they'd received the results of the pregnancy test, he'd automatically stepped into daddy mode. Perhaps insisting on carrying her over two inch puddles of rainwater was a little overbearing. _Better safe than sorry, right?  
_

Mason watched his wife defiantly narrow her eyes and cross her arms, over her noticeable bump. _  
_

_Maybe not._

Jane looked at her husband, incredulously. "Honey, I'm not the first woman to carry a baby and I won't be the last. I can still walk and chew gum, at the same time."

"Well, as long as we keep that chewing in moderation, Jane. I looked up the effects of artificial sweeteners in gum, for pregnant women, and…"

She rolled her eyes. Jane loved her husband, really she did. She knew that his intentions were ridiculously pure - tell that to the hormones, that made him almost intolerable, at the moment.

"I'm doing it again, aren't I?"

Jane simply nodded. This time, she gave him a small smile. Irritation aside, she acknowledged that Mason's white knight complex was simply adorable.

Taking her hands in his own, Mason sighed. "It's just…if anything preventable happens to you, I would never forgive myself."

"I know, babe. I feel the same way about you. However, carrying me everywhere, against my will, is not a good solution. If I'm being completely honest, it's kind of stressing me out. That's definitely not good for the baby. I feel like you follow me around because you don't trust me."

He hadn't even thought of that. The last thing he wanted was to cause her upset, unhappines, or any type of negative emotion. Mason dropped to his knees and shuffled forward. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me." He bit his bottom lip.

"I'm not blaming you, for anything. I get it, Mase, you're nervous – I am, too. We're first time parents. It would be nothing short of a miracle, for us to get everything right. Let's make a deal, okay?" She put her right hand over her heart, "I swear to protect myself, to the best of my ability, If I ever need any help, I'll let you know, right away. Deal?"

The former cheerleader nodded.

"Also, if you ever genuinely think that I need help, you have my permission to intervene." Jane put her hands either side of his face and proceeded to kiss him on the lips. "Now, I want you to stop worrying, so that we can start enjoying this pregnancy."

He put his head in her lap. "I love you, Jay."

"I love you, too," she whispered, while stroking his hair. "I still need to use the bathroom, you know."

He sat back on the couch, to move out of her way.

"I think you should carry me."

Mason's green eyes widened in confusion. "I thought…"

"I figured one, last time couldn't hurt."

He smiled, at his beloved, before scooping her into his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** CONTAINS ANGST. Wrote this very quickly. Hope you guys like it. It turned out longer than I expected. Also, this is slightly AU. For the sake of the story, let's all pretend that Sue is still Principal.

* * *

 **"Have you ever wanted to hate someone?"**

 _"We're leaving," Madison said, proudly standing up, in front of the group._

 _Jane narrowed her eyes, at the blatant joke. It wasn't very funny._

 _"Uh, what are they talking about?" Roderick asked, leaning toward Jane._

 _"They're obviously not serious," she replied. They had just won Nationals, this is obviously some sort of prank_

 _"To be clear, we're not leaving the school or the district – just glee club," Mason added.  
_

 _Jane sighed. These two, she thought. Always finding new ways to potentially give her a heart attack._

 _"Jane...I think they're serious," Spencer said, from her other side._

 _Seeing Mason just stare at her, helplessly, reality slapped her in the face. She stood._

 _"It might not be April 1st, but you guys must be joking. I know for a fact that as your girlfriend," she pointed to Mason, "and your best friend," she looked at Madison, "that I wouldn't have to find out the same time as everyone else."_

 _"I can't listen to this." Madison picked up her bag and turned on her heels. She seemed more angry, than upset._

 _"Mason..." Jane reached out to him, but he stepped out of her grasp._

 _"Principal Sylvester offered us the Cheerio Captain position, when Kitty graduates, if we leave the glee club. We need this, Jane. I'm so sorry."_

 _"Wait. How long ago?"_

 _"A few weeks," he whispered._

 _Mason followed his sister's lead. Leaving a mass of open-mouthed, show choir members, in his wake. Jane ran out after him._

 _"Mason! None of what explains why you didn't tell me. I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other."_

 _He turned to face his...Her. What was she, to him, now? Girlfriend? Friend? Ex? Enemy?_

 _"...If I had told you, you would've been able to convince me to stay."_

 _"Not if being Captain was what you really wanted. I would have supported you, all the way." Did he really not know this, by now? Why didn't he trust her? "I could have helped you break the news better than you just did."_

 _Shock still coursed through her body, as she stumbled back into the choir room._

 **-** **\- -**  
Jane rested her forehead against the cool steel of her locker. It had been about six weeks, since Mason and Madison quit New Directions. In a move that nobody had seen coming, they'd decided to redirect all their creative talents and efforts into the Cheerios. Mason had just walked by, talking animatedly to one of his fellow cheerleaders. She was tall, blonde, tanned and perfect. Great, another ripe source for self-esteem issues. Jane wouldn't even be surprised if they were dating. She wanted him to talk to her, but she didn't want to talk to him. He had been generous enough to spare Jane a glance. His face looked neutral but his beautiful eyes, were always ridiculously expressive. They were sad, pained - a lot like her own.

The younger McCarthy, had still failed to explain why their preexisting relationship was immediately terminated, once he left glee club. While Jane wasn't sure _what_ he was thinking, especially recently, she knew his general thinking process. She guessed that he felt terrible about not telling her the secret, in the first place. He saw the hurt it caused when he sprang it on her. They both knew that Mason, probably having no excuse other than 'my sister told me to do it' would be a major point of contention. It was too late, anyway. The initial damage had already been caused. Trying to fix things would, undoubtedly, only make them worse. So, instead he did nothing. Hoping it would eventually blow over.

None of that reasoning could stop Jane from feeling like a complete fool. She had trusted him with things. Parts of her that no one else had seen. There was one thing, in particular, that she could never get back (it was a physical impossibility). It hurt her to think it, but Jane regretted ever letting her guard down around him.

At times like this, she really wished Roderick was here. He would've known exactly what to say, to make her feel better. They'd spoken via Skype, of course. Jane had tried to hide the heartbreak in her eyes but he saw it, anyway. Hell, she even missed Kitty. She had been so mad at them quitting, without any previous discussion.

Spencer came to stand next to his friend. She wasn't looking up, but she knew it was him. Despite his rough nature, he had a very calming presence that automatically put her at ease. Also, he wore a distinctive cologne. The muscled Mr Porter, and his boyfriend, had been her collective rock through these difficult times. Jane dreaded to think where she would be without their support.

"There's no way you should be this miserable on your birthday. If Mason's flaunting his new squeeze around the place – you can, too. I wasn't going to say anything, but there's this guy, on the football team. He likes you and-"

Jane raised her hand. After being plagued by happy memories of her last birthday, with Mason, she didn't really feel like celebrating. "Thanks, but no thanks. I need to be by myself. I still have stuff to figure out." She turned to Spencer. "Why can't I hate him?"

"You still love the jerk, duh."

She smiled (her first one in a while, actually). "Are we all still on for dinner, tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll pick up Alistair, and we'll be there for six. Might even fit in a bit of playtime, before."

"Okay, Spence, that's officially TMI. Go to practice. I'll see you later."

After Spencer left, Jane opened her locker. A picture, of her on Mason's lap, rested uneasily on top of her neatly stacked books. It wasn't hers. She turned it around. Mason's distinctive handwriting, read: _'Happy Birthday, angel. I love you, always. Maybe, one day, you can forgive me for being so stupid because I still have hope for us. I'll keep it short – I know that you probably hate my guts, right now.'  
_  
For the first time in six weeks, Jane felt her heart unclench. A tear ran down her cheek, as she kissed the photo. Then she held it to her chest. Once the pain and anger passed, maybe she would have hope, too. Bittersweet would be the best way to describe this moment. _Like I told Spencer, I could never hate you._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Please excuse any errors, I'm still a little hazy. I've actually had bad flu and am only just recovering. Thanks for reading!

This is slightly AU (everything happened the same but they never dated in high school). Currently, they are both going to college in New York.

* * *

 **"Come Home With Me"**

A touch of scarlet lingered on Mason's pale cheeks, from the midnight kiss he'd shared with Jane, moments before. Surely, there couldn't be a more perfect way, to start off his New Year (and say goodbye, to the previous one). The kiss had been sweet, passionate and everything he'd dreamed. Above all else, it was completely expected. Mason had been ready to settle for a quick forehead or cheek kiss, as usual. The pair had known each other since their junior year, at McKinley, after she transferred from another school. When they both joined glee club, there was an instant, roaring connection between them. For reasons unknown, Mason had never told her how he felt. As far as he knew, she wasn't interested, or only saw him as a friend.

Mason and Jane stood in Times Square, on New Year's Morning (technically). They watched fireworks explode multiple colors into the midnight sky. The weather was harsh. His sister was somewhere, around here, with her own boyfriend. To be honest, he'd been in somewhat of a trance, since they kissed. Jane was completely snuggled into Mason's front. His open coat partially wrapped around her. She looked adorable, as always. Everywhere, people were celebrating and embracing each other. The atmosphere was pure warmth, even though they were standing in the freezing cold. Now, seemed like a time to confess his feelings. He was thinking of the best way to phrase it, when she spoke.

"Come home with me."

 _Well, that was certainly unexpected_ , he thought.

" _Excuse me?_ " Mason asked, blinking rapidly, completely sure that he'd misheard her. He swallowed, hard. Nothing could have him for those four words. Mason had only heard her say them, to him, in his dreams. He never thought he'd actually hear her say them, for real. His heart fluttered, with equal parts excitement and nervousness.

"Come home with me, Mason. Please."

 _Goodness_ , how he'd wanted to ask her to come home with him, over the years. There were so many missed opportunities. The countless nights, they'd talked into the early hours of the morning. The times she just turned up, without warning, with takeout needing a friendly face. His face. Understandably, Mason assumed that any proposition would be met with a slap to the face (probably accompanied by a kick to the groin). Apparently, his best friend, was far more open than he gave her credit for.

"I…Are you sure, Jane? We're not moving too fast?" He cursed the words, as they left his mouth, but he had to be certain. If it meant this sweet dream was ripped away, so be it.

"It's okay, Mase. I know you'll still be there, when I wake up, in the morning. I think we've wasted enough time." Her piercing dark eyes looked directly into his soul.

"Jane, we don't have to…you know, _do_ anything. It's enough for me to just fall asleep, next to you."

She cupped his cheek. The young man, found himself leaning into her soft touch.

"I've always liked you, Mason. When we were both accepted into NYU, I took it as a sign. Maybe, we should be something more. After all, it's not like I'm not madly in love with you."

A huge lump formed in his throat. He felt validated. The mutual attraction he sensed, wasn't all in his head. "You know I love you, too," he said, softly gripping her chin.

Jane nodded.

"I feel like a complete fool, for not telling you how I feel." Mason was an eternal optimist, normally. In this situation, he allowed a fear of rejection to overshadow his positivity.

"You didn't have to, I already knew. I'm as much to blame because I never said anything, either. Roderick told me. Then, Alistair told me. Then, Spencer told me. Finally, your sister even told me. You're the best friend I've ever had. I was scared of what would happen if our dynamic changed. I didn't want to lose you."

"Sorry," he whispered.

Jane shook her head. "Don't be. That's all behind us, now. We have our whole future ahead of us."

Mason blinked away tears, focusing on the heavenly vanilla scent coming from her hair.

"So…What will we do? When we get to your place?" He asked, raising his dark eyebrows, with a smirk.

Suddenly, Mason lost his whole train of thought. His light eyes closed, when Jane moved her hand between them. Similar to how she'd held his cheek, earlier. Jane, was now cupping something much lower down. Except, this time, her grip was not so gentle. She looked straight ahead, feigning innocence.

Well, it was obviously going to be a night filled with many first times, for them.

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Jane replied. She turned, in his embrace, and put her lips to Mason's ear. "Stop over thinking things. Do you want to get out of here?"

Mason nodded, enthusiastically. His companion's beautiful eyes widened in excitement. She grabbed his hand, as they worked their way through the crowd. The length of her strides seemed to double. Mason was almost having trouble keeping up with her. He retrieved his phone, using it to tell his twin sister that he wouldn't make it back to their shared apartment. That was simply the place where he currently lived. However, tonight, he was finally going home.


End file.
